Aggie for a Day
by Meghan Alonzo

On September 27, 2008, the Ronald Reagan JROTC participated in Aggie for a Day in College Station, Texas. This is an annual Reagan JROTC event that allows cadets to attend a Texas A&M football game, tour the campus, and visit the Bush museum. A&M battled West Point in the infamous Kyle Field, where Reagan took 55 well qualified cadets that showed outstanding leadership qualities in the classroom and through various fundraising activities. Our Aggie for a Day trip began with an early check-in time of 6am on Saturday morning, followed by a departure at 6:30. After the three and a half hour road trip, the cadets arrived in the heart of Aggie land. There was maroon flooding the streets, from fans to cars, and even pets. The spirits were high as 55 cadets anxiously piled off the bus and entered Kyle Field. The event began with the Corps of Cadets march in at 10 am. From there, the cadets were privileged enough to sit on the field within 15 feet of the end zone. Throughout the game, the cadets chowed down on aggie dogs, snow cones, ice cream, and popcorn. During the second quarter, the cadets were shocked with a surprise visit by the Secretary of the United States Army, Peter Geren. After the Aggies triumphed over West Point, the cadets loaded the bus and departed for the Bush Museum. On the tour, the cadets learned about the Bush family history as well as his term in office as President. They engaged in an inspirational video and looked at pictures, artifacts, and models of President Bush’s life. Upon completing the visit, our last stop was the crowd favorite, Golden Coral. It is not a complete JROTC trip without the corps dinner at this famous dining hot spot.

Flour Bluff
By Meghan Alonzo

On October 24th and 25th, the Reagan Rattler Battalion competed in a JROTC rifle and drill competition. Many hours of practicing went into improving the teams’ routines and retaining pages upon pages of knowledge in preparation for this event. On Friday morning, the cadets departed for Flour bluff in Corpus Christi. Upon arrival, the physical training (PT) team started the competition by competing in three different events. They finished in 6th place with a combined total of 521 sit-ups, 350 push-ups, and a 2-mile relay time of 10 minutes and 16 seconds. Immediately following, the Rifle team shot a 3 position shoulder-to-shoulder match. They shot a combined score of 1070 placing them in 1st place overall and the team commander Maggie Savage took 1st place as an individual. Saturday morning, the cadets had a wake up call of 5:30 a.m. to begin the day’s series of events. Junior varsity (JV) female Color guard kicked off the morning marching in unison and placing 18th overall followed by the Varsity female Color guard who finished strong in 14th place. The JV male Color guard placed 9th while the Varsity male Color guard took 7th. After the morning’s outstanding performances, the cadets ate lunch provided by our supportive JROTC Booster Club parents. After lunch, the defending Army Champion Rattler Guard took the floor competing in three different events. They placed 4th in Inspection, 5th in Regulation, 2nd in Exhibition, and 4th overall. After supporting the Rattler Guard, it was the Diamond Back Drill Team’s turn to show off the routine that they had been working so hard to perfect. They placed 8th in Inspection, 3rd in Regulation, 3rd in Exhibition, and 4th place overall. In the end, our teams did a great job and with the next drill meet, Somerset, quickly approaching in November, they are in the process of analyzing the results and doing their best to improve and raise the standards to dominate again.